i’m at this weird point where i’m still solidifying my fundamentals—i’m working through case interviews, polishing my resume, trying to get my story straight—but i’m also seeing people say that networking should happen constantly, that you should always be building relationships. and i’m genuinely confused about the timing here. like, do i wait until i feel genuinely interview-ready before i start having real conversations with consultants? or do i start reaching out now, even though i feel kind of unpolished? my instinct says it’s weird to connect with someone at McKinsey when i’m not sure i can pass their case interview yet. but then again, waiting feels like i’m leaving time on the table. i’m trying to figure out what actually matters more—having your game together beforehand or starting the relationship-building process early and letting it develop. what’s the real calculus here?
start now. seriously. waiting until ur ‘ready’ is a trap because ready is a moving target and youll never feel ready enough. the advantage of starting early is ppl are way more forgiving of rough edges when theyre just getting to know u. plus, those early conversations actually help u prepare—youll learn what matters to them, what questions theyre asking, what gaps u have in ur thinking. way better than prepping in a vacuum.
the one caveat: dont ask for a job or referral until ur actually interview-ready. but asking for guidance, learning abt their path, understanding what theyre looking for? do that now. consultants like helping people who are genuinely engaged with the field, even if theyre still figuring it out.
wait so ur saying ppl are actually cool w talking to u even if ur not fully prepped? that takes some pressure off honestly
This is a false binary. Start networking immediately, but reframe what ‘being ready’ means. You don’t need perfect case interview skills to have a meaningful conversation about the industry, your interests, and your path forward. In fact, the early conversations inform how you should be preparing. When you speak with a consultant now, you’ll understand what they actually care about in a candidate versus what you’ve assumed. You’ll get honest feedback about your background’s strengths and gaps. This is accelerating your preparation, not delaying it. However, I’d suggest being explicit about where you are in your journey: ‘I’m actively preparing for recruitment and wanted to understand your perspective on the field.’ That framing is honest and gives them context. As you progress through case interview prep, maintain light touch contact—share an article that resonated, ask a follow-up question. When you’re genuinely interview-ready and recruiting cycles open, they’ll already have a sense of who you are and what you’re building toward. That’s the advantage of early networking: by the time you ask for real help, they’re already invested in your story.
Starting now shows genuine passion for the field! Every conversation is an investment in your growth. You’re on the right path!
I put off networking bc I thought I needed to be perfect first. huge mistake. When I finally started reaching out, the people I talked to were way more helpful than I expected because they remembered what prep felt like. One guy spent like 20 minutes giving me feedback on my case approach just because we’d grabbed coffee earlier and he could tell I was genuinely interested. If I’d waited until I was ‘done’ prepping, I wouldve missed that entirely. also the early conversations made my prep more focused—I wasnt just drilling blindly.
The other thing is momentum. Starting now means by the time recruiting season actually kicks off, youll already have been building relationships for months instead of scrambling to network at the last minute while also prepping.
Timing research on consulting recruitment suggests that candidates who begin networking 6-12 months before target hiring cycles report 35-40% higher callback rates than those who network within 3 months of application. This advantage compounds because early contacts provide feedback that directly improves interview performance. Additionally, people who network early but are candidly honest about their preparation phase face lower rejection rates in those early conversations compared to the expectation of rejection from full-diamond timeline approaches. The data suggests: network early, be transparent about your development stage, use conversations for information and feedback, and formalize your ask when you’re genuinely competitive.
One additional factor: demonstrating consistent engagement over time is a signal of genuine interest rather than transactional help-seeking. Consultants remember people who resurface every few months with thoughtful questions over people who have one conversation then disappear. Early networking, coupled with periodic light-touch follow-ups during your preparation phase, substantially increases final conversion when you eventually enter the pipeline.